Sain uu?

Hey family, what a week! I love missionary work in that as you do it right, there's never a wasted moment, we have the opportunity to always be about our Father's business.

To start off I sent you a bunch of pictures, there all shot's that were snapped at the mission conference talent show of Elder Stranski and I. Then the last picture is one of the view outside our kitchen window, not too much to explain about them, but they'll add a lot to this week's email.

View outside apartment

Talent performance with Elder Stranski

This has been a week with a little bit of everything! Monday we went out and got some pizza with a few Elders and then Elder Stranski and I took 30 minutes and went over the song a few times. At this time both of our voices weren't top notch, but the practice session felt good and
we were both confident that we had put in enough practice. After we fought some crazy traffic over to New West and I "taught the night away." Ha. The manager of the hotel has been using me lately to proofread their website and help their hotel get booked on some international sites to help get their name out there, then when I'm not doing that I'm teaching the staff. We got back that night, I ironed the shirt, cleaned the suit, and got all ready for mission conference! I love mission and zone conferences! If you can go in there really seeking to know the Lord's will, and wanting to know your standing as a missionary and how to improve those are two great opportunities to find out. And this time there wasn't the stress of all the behind-the-scenes work and that felt good.

Tuesday morning we got ready and took a taxi over to the Bayanzurkh Building, everyone was required to be there at 8:30 and we got there just before 8 to run over the song with Elder Stranski; they hadn't arrived and so we got everything set up and then greeted all the missionaries as they came in. It was awesome seeing all the missionaries from the countryside in, see good friends and old companions! Early that morning the Elders and Sisters scheduled to
finish their missions in May met with President Clark and then came down to the chapel and announced that their departure dates had been moved up to the April 8th transfer! That's Elder Tuvshinbayar's group and all the Elders that we've "grown up" with. That means they'll be
done in 3 weeks! Lately I've been getting a lot of reality checks like that... So those 7 Elders leave in April, Elder Reeves heads home May 21st (he has to report to the Marines by a certain date and will be home a transfer before we are).

9:00 rolled around and we all separated into zones in preparation to greet Elder and Sister Grow. Elder Tugsbaatar (our district leader in Enkhtaivan) and Elder Stranski were the only to Elders missing from the Bayanzurkh zone, and their phone was turned off! I did not want to be the Zone Leader with missing zone missionaries and so I was praying that they would get here soon as I was rounding up the other districts! They ran into the Bayanzurkh Building within a minute of Elder and Sister Grows arrival, we got them in place and then shook hands with Elder and Sister Grow! It really is a special opportunity to learn from and spend time with a general authority, especially in a mission setting and so I really try to learn from their examples, their personalities and so from that time on I was really watching those two closely! Elder C. Scott Grow's parents served in Mongolia 17 years ago and so they had the opportunity to go and visit a lot of the people his parents worked with after the conference. In D&C 11:21 we learn about having the convincing power in our work, I am always first and foremost impressed with the power of God in which the general authorities of the Church speak! We spent the morning talking about teaching with that convincing power and broke down verse 21 in Section 11. The agenda had us planned to study lesson 5 "Laws and Ordinances" from PMG most of Tuesday. But with talking with the mission in the first hour or so of the conference Elder Grow took things in a different direction and we talked about our investigators that have committed to be baptized! Again, I'm watching and listening intently to the lesson, the comments being made, and the actions of President Clark and Elder Grow and they saw different needs and went with it! And from then on the Conference departed from the agenda as we focused on the needs of our mission. At lunch I had the opportunity to meet with Elder Grow for a few minutes concerning the mornings training, we had a quick lunch, and then gathered in for the second half of Tuesday's training.

After lunch we had a few more hours of combined training, and a few of the zone leaders and the assistants gave assigned talks that mapped out a few of the main topics of discussion. I gave a 10 minute talk on the missionary purpose and real growth, we would present and then Elder Grow or President Clark would lead out a discussion. For me it was hard trying to get it all down on paper fast enough! We received a lot of great training and I received a lot of great insights into how I need to grow as a missionary in the next few transfers. For the last hour before dinner the Elders and Sisters split up, the Sisters headed up to the mission home (on the 5th floor) with Sister Clark and Sister Grow and the Elders stayed in the chapel with Elder Grow and President
Clark. If we're thinking General Conference, this was priesthood session! Elder Grow came up to me and asked that I translate for him, and then Elder Huff translated for President. We received a lot of powerful instruction concerning our role, as missionaries and as future leaders in the Church, as priesthood holders. Elder Grow shared with us to close a scripture that I really liked from D&C Section 67:

10 And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual.

13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected."

I felt good about the translation and more than anything grateful for the example of President Clark and Elder Grow as righteous holders of the priesthood! Starting foremost with Dad and working out, I've been surrounded by these incredible examples of men who hold their priesthood worthily and what an effect it's been in my life!

After that we had dinner and then the talent show. It was a blast! Our mission's got talent shuu dee. We even had some now producer RM's film the whole thing and so I'll save the details for July and show you the DVD. But we had a full 2 and a half hours filled with Gospel, Mongolian
culture related talent! Bayanzurkh Zone started things off and Elder Stranski and I were 4th on the list. I want to wait until I see it on tape, but we played without mistakes, and it felt good. I really miss playing the guitar and so this was a unique opportunity, our song was able to uplift, saikhan bailaa! The Talent Show ended at 9, we had to fly over to the Selbe building and lock it up and then headed home, hit the sac.

Wednesday we had training until lunch with Elder and Sister Grow, and then they headed off with Batbold to visit friends of Elder Grow's parents. Then for an activity we had a test-your-knowledge game from the Church Handbook about the basics of ordinances in the Church (I
know to anyone but a missionary that sounds like the last thing you'd call a game!), we played as districts. It was written in Mongolian and by default Elder Quinton and Stranski toned out (couldn't read fast enough), and the Sisters aren't too competitive. Elder Tugsbaatar and
I are! So we teamed up and rocked the house, we were super close to winning, but ended up tie-ing with Elder Wilson's district. Ahhh..... After that we had dinner and then Elder Quinton had English the rest of the night. We spent most of Thursday, aside from our weekly
planning session, teaching English, but Friday is where the week started getting interesting!

Thursday night Elder Quinton was feeling under the weather, bad cough and really nauseous, and Friday it was still a concern so we went to visit Elder Martin, the mission doctor in the afternoon. I didn't hear the diagnosis, but he either had the flu or streppe and the doctor
loaded him up with anti-biotics and then put him on bed rest for 36 hours. We didn't leave the house until Sunday morning, and instead of investigators I got to serve my companion better this week! I cooked up my classic chicken noodle soup and then he slept pretty much all day Friday and almost all of Saturday, getting up just to eat and drink. So I tore apart our Area Book, reorganized that and was able to also do some studying. I was grateful for the quiet time and got
through most of 2nd Nephi in my Mongolian Book of Mormon reading. Because the members feed us so well in Selbe I haven't cooked much lately and so I marinated some chicken (we ate it after my companion got better), baked some banana bread, made some no-bake-cookies. After
sleeping away Friday and Saturday Elder Quinton woke up, was feeling a lot better; we ate dinner, he went back to bed and was ready to go Sunday morning!

Sunday we had 5 investigators at Church! Not a ton, but really good for us lately. With not having been able to meet with many people before Sunday it was a great thing to see them there and then we spent Sundayevening meeting with a few investigators and new members. It feels good to be out and teaching!

To close I'll share a scripture that I've been really impressed with this week, I've been re-studying the Christlike Attributes and found this scripture in connection with virtue:

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things thatpertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:3-9)

Love, Elder Jolley

P.S. Have you guys ever heard of Seabuckthorn juice (Chatsargana)? It's really big here in Mongolia, and I'm curious to see if it's in the States.... will you guys let me know?

Received a bunch of extra pictures this week from Ryan from Tsaagan Sar—